The Road Reaper
by Count Morningstar
Summary: While taking a road trip through North America, Haruka and Michiru pass through a small town where Haruka took place in a race. There, Michiru learns of the tragedy of that race, one so dark that Haruka had kept it secret. The couple also learns of a vengeful being that stalks the road in and out of town known as the Road Reaper. Rated M as a precaution
1. A Broken Little Town

**Author's Note:** Here it is, my first Sailor Moon story. And it's a Haruka and Michiru story no less. I'm kinda worried that this story won't live up to the other Haruka and Michiru fics here on this site. But all I can do is write the best I can and let the reader be the judge. Anyway, this is an idea I've had for almost a couple of years now. It began with an oil painting I did not long after my mom's death. I really threw myself into painting during that time, painting and making desktop wallpapers. The painting I did ended up being a scene in this story. I'm not going to tell you about the painting now though because it's a spoiler. Anyway, a couple of days ago I finally sat down and planed this story out. So I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

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Chapter 1: A Broken Little Town

Haruka Tenoh was driving down a lonely road in the Nevada desert with her girlfriend, Michiru Kaioh. The couple had been vacationing in the U.S. for the last two weeks. They were on their way to Las Vegas to visit an old racing friend of Haruka's, when the car they were driving suddenly began making noises that a car should not be making. Thick smoke then started pouring through the cracks of the hood. Immediately Haruka pulled over to the side of the road.

"Damn rentals!" Haruka cursed as she hit the steering wheel.

"I guess we should try calling for a tow truck." Michiru said as she rummaged through her purse for her cell phone.

"I might be able to fix it myself." Haruka suggested.

"How? You don't have any tools with you." Michiru pointed out. "Besides, I don't think this is anything you can fix out here on the road."

"I can try anyway." Haruka retorted. "It's better than just sitting here for about an hour in this hot desert sun while the tow truck takes its sweet time getting here."

Just as Haruka was going to get out, the car of a highway patrolman pulled up behind them. The officer got out and walked up to Haruka's window. He was a somewhat pudgy individual who looked to be in his forties with pasty white skin. The officer had black hair, but Haruka assumed that under his hat he was bald.

"Well, looks like you folks are having a little car trouble." The officer observed. "I can call a tow truck if you like."

"That would be great." Michiru gladly replied before Haruka could respond.

"You're in luck, because we aren't too far away from a little town that's just up the road." The officer told them. "Should be here in about twenty minutes. Fifteen if he ain't out to lunch."

"At least it's not an hour." Haruka replied.

"You know you've got a pretty high voice there, young feller." The officer said to Haruka.

"There's a reason for that you know." Haruka said with a sly expression as Michiru began to snicker.

"You tryin' to sass me boy?" the officer asked as he peeked at Haruka from under his sunglasses.

"Not at all officer." Haruka said innocently. Meanwhile Michiru was trying her best to contain her laughter.

"…Well I better call that truck then." The officer finally said before going back to his car.

As soon as the officer was out of hearing range, both Haruka and Michiru burst out laughing. It had not been the first time that Haruka had been mistaken for a man, but it was perhaps one of the funniest. After about seventeen minutes the tow truck came and began pulling Haruka and Michiru's rental car along the road. They soon arrived at the town that the officer had told them about. It was a very rundown looking little town, the little houses on the outskirts all looked shabby and in a state of disrepair. A signpost on the outskirts told them that the name of the town was Splendor, and right away Haruka had a flash of recollection upon seeing the name.

At long last they reached the mechanic's garage, which looked just as rundown as the rest of the town. As the couple waited, Michiru noticed how uncomfortable Haruka looked, as if the little town was the last place she wanted to be. After what seemed like half an hour the young mechanic known only by his nametag as Clem emerged from the garage.

"Engine's a piece of shit, but it's nothin' that can't be fixed." Clem told them.

"How soon can you have the thing running again?" Haruka asked.

"Oh, I reckon maybe five hours." Clem replied. "But if I was you I'd check into a motel and wait 'til the morning to head out. You don't want to be on the roads around Splendor at night these days."

"Why's that?" Michiru asked.

"It's 'cause of the Road Reaper." Clem answered. "It drives along the road in and out of town in a black car that looks like it's from outer space or somethin'. Any poor feller who runs across it gets run off the road. Most of 'em die, few of 'em just vanish, leavin' behind some broken wreck. A few people have survived though. One of 'em's my cousin Jimmy. He was out joy ridin' with his girl when the thing came barrlin' down the road like a bat outta hell. The car stopped after hittin' him. Said he never saw the driver though. Of course maybe that's a good thing. Anyway, if I was you I'd stay off these roads at night."

"Just let us know when the car's fixed." Haruka said as she suddenly headed off to the diner that was across the street. Michiru quickly followed after her.

The diner that Haruka and Michiru entered was a little place called Eats. It was not a crowded establishment. A couple of the booths were filled with old-timers who were reading the newspaper and shooting the breeze about the local gossip they might have heard. And sitting at the counter were a few truck drivers that were just passing through. Haruka and Michiru sat down in the cleanest looking booth and soon the waitress took their order. There was no conversation between the two as they ate. Michiru tried starting one, but Haruka remained silent. Something about the town was bothering Haruka, and Michiru just could not figure out what it was.

When the couple had finished eating, the waitress came back to take their plates. When she saw Haruka a look of recognition came to her face.

"Hey, haven't I seen you around here before?" the waitress asked Haruka.

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Haruka answered, though Michiru could tell she was lying.

"No, I'm sure you were. I never forget a face." The waitress told her. "Let me see… Wait a minute, now I remember who you are. You were in that race here a couple years back. The last race they had before they shut down the track. Boy that just killed this town. We spent all that money on a racetrack and it gets shut down just like that! Course I guess I can't blame folks for losin' their appeal for racin' after that terrible accident. Those poor people in the stands."

Suddenly Michiru remembered that a couple of years ago Haruka was invited to a race in a small American town. A race that involved an accident that Haruka wouldn't talk about. Michiru did ask Haruka a few times about it, but did not press the issue.

"Well, I guess I'll get your bill." The waitress said before leaving a moment to get their check.

After paying for their meal at the diner, Haruka began in a direction that she seemed to know quite well. Michiru followed her of course. The couple came to a very rundown looking racetrack. The place had looked like it had not been attended to for years. Weeds were growing everywhere, and the bleachers were covered in rust. A section of the bleachers looked as if something very large and heavy had dropped on them. Haruka stood and looked at the old track with a sad expression on her face.

"So are you going to tell me about what happened here?" Michiru asked her.

"I guess I might as well now." Haruka sighed. "A couple years ago a friend of mine asked me to participate in a race here in this little town. The town wanted to become the racing capital of Nevada. It seemed like a fun race, so I told my friend I was in. Before the race back at that diner we were just at, I met a local guy who was participating, a local named Russell Packard. He wanted the five hundred thousand dollar prize money so he and his girlfriend could get out of the town and start a new life. Plus Packard wanted to begin a career as a hotshot racer. I told Packard he could take the money if he could beat me…."

"So what happened?" Michiru asked.

"It was the final lap of the race." Haruka began. "Packard and I were neck and neck. We left the other three guys in the dust. Looking back on it I guess Packard wanted to win way more than I did. But you know how stubborn I can be… The two of us kept speeding up, neither of us wanted to lose. We came to the last curve and… I guess Packard gave it way too much speed, because his car flipped way up into the stands. You can see where his car landed."

"Oh god… was anyone hurt?" Michiru asked.

"Well Packard survived." Haruka answered. "But the six people his car hit all died. One of them was Packard's girlfriend…. Sometimes I wonder that if I didn't try so hard to win… maybe those people wouldn't have gotten killed."

"Ruka, it was an accident." Michiru told her as she hugged Haruka from behind. "It wasn't your fault in any way."

"Yeah, you're right…" Haruka replied. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

A few hours later Haruka and Michiru's car was fixed. The sun was setting, and Clem the mechanic warned them again that they should find a motel and stay the night. But the couple ignored him. Haruka wanted to get out of that town as soon as she could. Plus neither of them believed the story about the so-called Road Reaper, and their destination was only a few hours away. As they drove out of town though, the couple was unaware that a black car was suddenly following them.

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**Author's Note:** This first chapter serves to set up the story. The action begins in the next chapter.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Enter the Road Reaper

**Author's Note:** I meant to have this chapter done a lot sooner, but some stuff came up. It was actually pretty bad timing for me. Even though I've had the idea for this story for a couple of years, I've had a hard time getting it off the ground. And then just when I get the thing started I get delayed. Hopefully I'm now back on track. Anyway, the action starts up this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

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Chapter 2: Enter the Road Reaper

It had been three hours since Haruka and Michiru had left the broken little town of Splendor Nevada. The sun had almost completely disappeared over the horizon. Michiru wondered if perhaps they should've stayed at a motel back in town, but Haruka assured her they could reach their destination before it got too late. Plus Haruka had wanted to spend as little time in Splendor as possible. There had been very little conversation since they left the town.

"You okay?" Michiru asked in a concerned tone.

"I'll be fine Michi, don't worry." Haruka assured her. "That little pit stop we had just brought back a few unpleasant memories."

The sun had finally vanished over the horizon, and suddenly a pair of bright headlights with an unearthly blue color began shining behind them. Haurka immediately noticed them in the rearview mirror of the sporty blue rental she was driving. The lights suddenly came closer and rammed into the back of the car. At that moment Haruka floored the accelerator. It seemed at first that they had outrun their pursuer, but he soon caught up with them and rammed them again.

After hitting them for a second time, the phantom car sped up and drove along side Haruka and Michiru's car. Haruka was sure that the car was going to try and ram them off the road, but then it speed up again and stopped a few feet in front of them on the road, spinning so that the driver's side door was facing them. Haruka stopped the car a few feet from their pursuer. It was then that both she and Michiru got a good look at the car. It did not by any means look like an ordinary car.

It was a two-door model that was jet-black in color. Its sleek appearance gave it a futuristic look. Haruka could tell that the engine of the vehicle was in the back, and gave off a sort of hum that she knew was not from any normal type of engine. It sounded like something from another world. Haruka and Michiru looked at each other for a moment before getting out of the car. When they did, the driver's side door of the black phantom car swung up like the blade of a Swiss Army Knife. A sort of mist then poured out of the vehicle, and both Haruka and Michiru felt an extreme cold wash over them.

It was then that the driver of the car swung his foot out of the car, showing that he wore a black boot. The driver then came out the rest of the way. The driver was male, that much seemed clear. He wore a black bodysuit with his torso and shoulders covered in black armor that had an otherworldly luster to it. Hanging at the driver's right hip was a rather large gun of a design not quite of this earth. Around his neck was a long tattered black scarf, and his black helmet was crafted in the likeness of a skull, yet was open to reveal his face. And it was his face that terrified Haruka and Michiru the most.

The driver's skin was as white as a sheet and gave off an eerie glow. If he had a nose or a mouth, neither Haruka nor Michiru could make them out. But they could make out his eyes. They were eyes that glowed red like fire and showed an intense hatred for everything. Haruka and Michiru had faced many horrifying creatures in the past, but this being was by far the most frightening.

"It's been a long time Tenoh." The driver of the phantom car said in a whispery voice that sounded like the wind.

"Am I supposed to know you?" Haruka asked, doing quite well to hide her fear as she did so.

"I guess I have changed quit a bit since you last saw me." The driver chuckled. "Today most know me as the Road Reaper. That was the name I carved in the side of the first car I ran down. But you know me by the name I used to go by… Russell Packard."

At this Haruka went pale. She could not believe that the thing standing before her was the man she raced against back in Splendor, the man who's life was ruined in that race.

"It, it can't be!" Haruka stuttered, this time showing her fear for the creature.

"Oh, but it can." Road Reaper replied. "You wouldn't believe what I went through after that damn race. After my girl Lindsey died and they closed down the track, I hit the road and wandered around this country, drifting from one town to another. The world had become hell for me. Then one day this lady from a company called the Keystone Corporation found me and told me she heard I was a good driver. She offered me the job of test-driving this new car the company was developing.

"The pay she offered was good, not that I really cared about that though. What I cared about was that the job was dangerous. I wasn't suicidal, but I didn't mind dying behind the wheel. The car she had me test is the same car I drive now. I was told that it was designed to travel to different dimensions, and it lived up to that pretty well.

"I drove that car into an all new kinda hell. The engine broke down when I got there and I wandered that place for what seemed like an eternity. It was there that I became what I am now, a wraith, a being of vengeance. And I've been using my power to take revenge on the people of that one-horse town back there. But now I have my chance to get revenge on you Tenoh."

"Haruka wasn't responsible for that accident!" Michiru cut in.

"Oh no?" Road Reaper coldly replied. "If she had only backed down during that final lap my car wouldn't have flipped over and killed Lindsey. That race ruined my life, and it's all because of her. And now I'm going to make her pay!"

"So you want to blame me for what happened?" Haruka said after recovering from the shock of her current situation. "Fine, but I'm not just going to stand here and let you kill me! Uranus Planet Power, Make-up!"

With the utterance of that last phrase, Haruka was enveloped in a bright gold light. When it cleared she was wearing a white tight fitting costume with a short dark-blue skirt with a large bow on the back. The costume also had a matching dark-blue collar that looked like it was from a sailor uniform. On the front of her chest was a large yellow bow adorned with a blue heart-shaped broach. Around her neck was a dark-blue choker with a gold star on the front, and around her forehead was a sort of gold crown with a dark-blue gem. On her hands Haruka wore white gloved that ended in three dark-blue rings, and on her feet she wore dark-blue high-heeled boots. Haruka had transformed into Sailor Uranus.

"Neptune Planet Power, Make-up!" Michiru called out, and with that she was enveloped in an aqua colored light.

When the light cleared, Michiru was wearing a costume similar to Haruka's. Though there were a few differences. The bow on the front of her chest was dark-blue, and the heart-shaped broach adorning it was aqua-green like her shoulder-length hair. The gemstone in her crown was the same color. Michiru had transformed into Sailor Neptune.

After seeing Haruka and Michiru's transformations, Road Reaper's eyes went wide for a moment. But then he burst into a whispery laugh that sounded as if the wind itself was cackling.

"Well Tenoh, I guess this proves you really are a girl." Road Reaper said as he finished laughing. "I don't know how you and your friend there are able to transform like that, but it won't change anything. You're still going to die!"

"I don't think so Packard!" Haruka declared. "World Shaking!"

With that phrase, Haruka raised her right arm in the air. Gold energy gathered in her right hand, forming a massive ball. She brought the ball of energy into the ground, causing it to head towards Road Reaper. The Road Reaper reacted by quickly drawing his gun and firing off a massive ball of blue flames. The impact of the flame bullet destroyed Haruka's attack.

"Not bad." Road Reaper commented. "But not good enough!"

Suddenly Road Reaper vanished, but reappeared right in font of Haruka and hit her with a powerful kick.

"Deep Submerge!" Michiru cried out as she gathered water from the air around her into a massive ball.

She fired the ball of water at Road Reaper, but the spectral racer dodged the attack. He then fired off a bullet of blue flames at Michiru. Michiru just barely managed to dodge the attack. The Road Reaper then fired a chain with a hook from the gauntlet on his right hand. The chain wrapped around Michiru's ankles and pulled her to the ground. Haruka managed to get back to her feet at that point.

"You know Tenoh, I just realized that killing you won't be enough." Road Reaper suddenly said. "I want you to suffer just like I did."

With that, Road Reaper detached the chain from his arm and wrapped the end of it around what looked like a trailer hitch on the rear bumper of his car. He then got back into his car and began to drive off. Haruka quickly grabbed onto Michiru's hand as the car began to speed away. The couple clung to each other with all their might. Meanwhile a distortion of otherworldly blue light that looked like a tunnel opened up in front of Road Reaper's car. The car drove into the tunnel, dragging Michiru and Haruka behind it. Once they had completely entered the tunnel it closed behind them.

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**Author's Note:** The hardest part of this chapter was describing the Road Reaper's car. I'm not what one would call a car guy. But I did the best I could. It was basically inspired by the car from an old movie called _The Wraith_, which came out in 1986. Actually that movie was a heavy inspiration for this story. The Road Reaper even called himself a wraith. Although in this case our "wraith" is more like the kind from _Lord of the Rings_. The battle in this chapter was pretty short, but I'm saving myself for the later parts of the story.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. Land of the Wraiths

**Author's Note:** I apologize for yet another delay in updating this story. More stuff came up over the weekend, plus I've been working on another story. On that note there might be another long delay in adding the next chapter. But I'll try to have it up soon.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

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Chapter 3: Land of the Wraiths

Haruka and Michiru continued to be dragged through a long tunnel of cold blue light from behind the car of the Road Reaper. How long they were dragged they could not say. They were too busy holding onto each other for dear life to keep track of the time. But at last the tunnel ended and they were pulled out. Road Reaper's car came to a sudden stop, jerking the chain to the left and throwing the two Sailor Scouts in that direction. As quickly as she could, Haruka got up and checked on Michiru, untying the chain from around her legs at the same time.

As the couple got back to their feet, they finally took a good look at their surroundings. They found themselves in a barren wasteland. The brown desolate ground stretched out in all directions. Any shrubs that existed in this land were black and withered, and very small. The sky above them was a dark crimson the color of dried blood, and floating through that sky every now and than were rocks of various sizes, some even as huge as mountains. At this point the Road Reaper got out of his car, filling Haruka and Michiru with dread.

"Welcome to the land of the wraiths girls." Road Reaper said in his cold whispery voice. "This is where I wound up after my little test drive. I wandered through this hell for months, maybe years. I don't really know, but I met the things that live here, the wraiths. And later on I became one of them. I mastered the power I gained here and then started stalking the road through that little town."

"Why did you bring us here Packard?" Haruka demanded to know.

"Because I want you to suffer the way I did." Road Reaper replied with hate in his voice. "I want you to wander through this land and experience the same hell that I did. And then just when it seems like you've had enough, I will come for you and make you suffer even more. And then… I will break you."

"At least leave Michiru out of this!" Haruka pleaded. "This is between you and me!"

"Oh no, I can't do that Tenoh." Road Reaper laughed. "Her suffering seems to make you suffer even more, so she's in this too whether you like it or not."

With that, the Road Reaper got back in his car and drove off. It was very clear to the couple that he was going to toy with them before killing them.

"What do we do now?" Michiru asked.

"I don't know." Haruka replied. "I guess we just start walking…. Hey Michi, I'm sorry I got you involved in all of this."

"It's not your fault Ruka. You didn't know any of this would happen." Michru pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess not…" Haruka replied. "C'mon, let's get going."

And so they began their grim journey through the wasteland. They could not tell if they were going north, south, or some other direction. All the couple knew was that they were going in the opposite direction that the Road Reaper had gone. Not that that direction was any safer though. After awhile it seemed like they had been walking for hours, though how many Haruka and Michiru could not be sure. There was no way to tell how much time had passed in that land. There was no sun or moon, only an endless crimson that grew neither lighter nor darker with time.

It was also impossible for Haruka and Michiru to tell just how far they had wandered. For even after hours of walking there was still nothing but wasteland and floating rocks for as far as the eye could see. The most concerning part of all this was that there didn't seem to be any immediate source of water. Although it seemed to the couple that if there was water near by, it probably would've frozen to ice, for there was a persistent bone-chilling cold over the land. And that cold cut through them like a knife with each gust of wind. After awhile, Michiru stopped and fell to her knees.

"Are you okay?" Haruka asked as she rushed over to her.

"I'll be fine, I just need to rest for a bit." Michiru assured her.

"I think you should try and keep going for just a little while longer." Haruka told her. "I don't like staying out in the open like this."

As if on cue, a horrifying screeching noise came suddenly over the land. It was unlike anything the couple had heard before, except perhaps in nightmares. As Michru got back to her feet, she and Haruka found themselves surrounded by twelve very terrifying creatures. All of them wore tattered black robes with hoods. Their fingers were long and spindly, and the skin of their hands was chalk white and gave off a dim glow. The faces of the creatures could not be seen, but their eyes glowed with a pale-blue light. All of the creatures simply hovered there above the ground and looked at the couple menacingly.

"I guess these things are the wraiths that the Road Reaper was talking about." Michiru assumed.

"They certainly look a little like the thing Packard has become." Haruka agreed. "But let's just worry about taking the things out."

With that, Haruka fired off a World Shaking attack at a few of the wraiths. The gold sphere of light seemed to have little effect of the creatures and only caused them to scatter. The twelve wraiths then swarmed around the duo, but Michiru managed to fire off a Deep Submerge attack that forced them back a bit. Michiru then silently called for an ornate hand mirror that was her primary weapon. She held the mirror to the wraiths to try and find their weakness.

The mirror ended up making the wraiths freeze where they were and caused them to screech. Their black robes suddenly faded to reveal the true appearance of the wraiths. What the things looked like under their robes was far too terrible to describe. Michiru almost vomited after seeing what they looked like. Haruka silently called for her primary weapon, a small ornate sword with a jeweled sheath. She unsheathed the sword and sent several blades of gold energy at the wraiths that sliced them apart. Once the things were gone, Michiru fell to her knees again, shivering with a look of terror on her face. Immediately Haruka rushed over to her.

"It's okay, they're gone now." Haruka whispered as she pulled Michiru into a hug.

"Those things… they were so…" Michiru began to say, but she could not bring herself to describe what they had just seen.

"Try not to think about it." Haruka told her.

"Ruka… are we going to die here?" Michiru asked in a small-terrified voice that Haruka had never once heard from her before.

"Of course not." Haruka assured her. "As long as you and I are together we can survive anything. We'll get out of this… somehow. Now let's get going."

"…Okay." Michiru said after finally regaining her composure.

With that, the two got back to their feet and continued on. The thing that was driving them was the hope that they would find a way out of the realm they had been brought to. As the couple continued on, they were unaware that the car of the Road Reaper was not too far away.

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**Author's Note:** This chapter ended up being pretty short. I kinda wonder if I rushed the battle scene a little. The next chapter will be a bit longer though, and explain a little more about the land Haruka and Michiru now find themselves in. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.


	4. City of Ruin

**Author's Note:** This chapter shows a little bit more of the horror aspect of the story. I'm sorry to say that there won't be a lot of action in this chapter, but it should still be a good read.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon.

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Chapter 4: City of Ruin

Haruka and Michiru continued wandering through the Land of the Wraiths. It had only been five hours since encountering the band of wraiths that tried to kill them. That encounter shook the couple to their very core. All around the two was wasteland as they continued onward. But suddenly they came upon a steep hill. Upon reaching the top of that hill, Haruka and Michiru came upon a view they did not expect to see.

The hill overlooked what could only be described as a small city that looked as if it had been abandoned for years. A few of the buildings in this city were tall, though not skyscrapers, and some of those buildings were sitting a bit lopsided on their foundations. Seeing that there wasn't really any other place to go, Haruka and Michiru decided to head for the city before them. The climb down from the hill was a steep one, a bit steeper than the climb up. But the coupled made it down with little effort.

It only took Haruka and Michiru half an hour to reach the city. All the buildings around them were dirty and had broken windows. Some of them even had doors missing. Neither Haruka nor Michiru felt the need to explore every building, as they felt a certain sinister presence around them. And they did not want to disturb whatever might be living in the seemingly abandoned buildings.

But they came across a small grey rectangular building that had its door missing like so many of the other buildings. And despite their better judgment, Haruka and Michiru went in. The rooms in the building were mostly bare, but the couple could tell that they were once used as laboratories.

"Looks like there was a fight here." Harika theorized, noting the state of the items in the rooms, as well as spots on parts of the walls that looked like dry blood. "Call me crazy, but I don't think those things built this place."

"I think you're right." Michiru agreed. "Let's look around for a little while longer."

Haruka agreed, and the two searched through the various rooms. They went through each room together, as they did not like the idea of splitting up. As the couple rummaged through a large room deep within the compound, Michiru came across a small black book on the floor. She picked it up and thumbed through the pages.

"Ruka, I've found something that looks like some kind of journal." Michiru called over. "The front page says it belonged to a Dr. Hubert M. Crawford."

"What's it say?" Haruka asked. Michiru turned to the first page.

"September twenty-first, 1986." Michiru read as she began the first entry in the book. "Today I have been assigned to work on the keyhole project, which if successful will allow the human race to be able to travel to other dimensions. The idea of such a concept boggles the mind. To think that we might one day soon be able to see what wonders lie beyond our own world. What is even more mind-boggling is that the head scientist of our team, Dr. Emma Norris, is only thirteen years old. And yet she is one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world. I am confident that we shall succeed in our task.

"September twenty-eighth, 1986. We are coming close to finishing the reactor for the device that will create an interdimensional portal. Young Dr. Norris is very enthusiastic about testing the device, but I am wondering if we shouldn't slow down a bit. I can almost remember a time when I was that young and ambitious. Still, there is a danger in moving too fast, but then I suppose we have no choice but to move as fast as we have been. There have been repeated threats to cut our funding; so the sooner we have results the better.

"October third, 1986. The unthinkable has happened. After testing the portal reactor, we have found that only our whole lab, but the entire city of Wheatville Nebraska has somehow been transposed to another dimension. I suppose this proves that the device works, but maybe a little too well. And what's worse is that the damn thing has burned out on us. My colleagues and I are trying to repair the device of course, but I have little hope that we will succeed.

"October sixth, 1986. All efforts to repair the reactor have failed. The mayor of the city, the head of the local police, the military officers in charge of our lab, and of course my colleagues and I, are all having a meeting to decide what to do next. This whole incident might not be so bad if our new surroundings weren't so foreboding. Of all the dimensions in existence, why did we have to end up in this wretched place?

"October seventh, 1986. After a very lengthy and hearted debate, it was decided that a few of us should scout around this world for something we could use to repair the reactor, or anything else that may help us. Though I don't know what in God's name anyone suspects to find in this wasteland. But then what choice do we have? Young Dr. Norris, myself, and at least sixteen military officers are to set out on a trek across this land. I don't have much faith that we'll find anything, but then again we may even find a portal out of this place.

"October eighth, 1986. Our team has set out to the south of the city. After about half an hour of driving our jeeps have walking, we have come to a floating mountain. A ghastly looking thing this mountain is. It looks like a demon bat straight from hell. We have decided to camp here briefly at the base of this mountain for an hour. After which eight of the soldiers will head out to the east. The rest of us meanwhile shall head west. I wish the best of luck to them.

"October eighth, 1986. Our team has suffered a huge setback. After driving for another half hour, we came to a very dense forest. It was impossible for our jeeps to get through, so we had to abandon them and go on foot. The things we saw in that forest of dead trees was indescribable. I'm not even certain if it was real. If it wasn't, five of the eight soldiers who were accompanying Dr. Norris and myself died of pure fright. As for Dr. Norris, the poor girl's once black hair has turned completely white. I do hop she was not scarred by whatever she saw in that cursed forest. It would be a shame for the world to lose such a brilliant mind.

"October ninth, 1986. Or at least that's the date according to my watch. It's impossible to tell when one day ends and another begins in this strange land. After escaping that damned forest we decided to camp out for a while. Young Dr. Norris seems to be doing much better, but one wonders if her sanity is fully enacted. We kept going west until one of the soldiers spotted something in the distance. It looked like some sort of factory, and the black clouds of smoke billowing from the stacks suggested it was still very much in use. We debated for a while about whether or not to seek out the inhabitants of that factory and ask for help. But in the end we decided to avoid the inhabitants of this realm at all costs. We decided to head north and see where that will lead us.

"October ninth, 1986. It seems that the day has ended, and what a day it has been. We've found what might be a portal out of this hellish place. Though it was under heavy guard. There was some creature in the cave nearby that almost got us all. When we finally arrived, it was decided that Dr. Norris and two of the soldiers go through while the remaining soldier and I return to the city and inform the others. We must get everyone to this portal as soon as we can.

"October ninth, 1986. I have made it through that damn forest, but the soldier that was with me was not so lucky. I do not know what happened to him in there. Perhaps something grabbed him, or he just lost so much of his mind that he could not go on. Either way, I waited for him for at least ten minutes and decided to leave him for dead. God forgive me if he was still alive, but I felt that there was no other choice. At least the jeep we came to this spot in was still here and enacted.

"October ninth, 1986. I have returned to the city, and I do not like what I have found. All the homes and buildings I've driven by look as if they have been broken into. I feel I must fear the worst. It seems likely that the inhabitants of this dimension have attacked the people of this city. I will search for survivors, but I am not certain I'll find any."

At this point Michiru paused in her reading. In the last entry it looked as though the good doctor's handwriting had started to give out.

"Well, it that it?" Haruka asked.

"Uh, October ninth, 1986." Michiru continued. "It has become clear to me that everyone in the city has perished at the hands of this dimensions inhabitants. I have seen the things with my own eyes. They are horrid things, creatures in hooded cloaks that float on the air like ghosts. I have no doubt that they have killed everyone in the city. Lord knows what they've done with the bodies. Not even the lab is safe, and I fear that I will soon be the next to die…. And so, in the cosmically unlikely event that someone else ends up in this hell, I have left this journal with the hope of the directions left within it will safely guide those poor souls to the one doorway that may bring salvation. The jeep I have used is in the garage of the lab. I pray that it will still function. There is also a compass in the jeep that should prove helpful…. May the lord have mercy on my soul."

The two were silent after Michiru finished reading the last entry. Haruka went over and gave Michiru a hug. It was clear that she was disturbed by what she just read.

"Okay, we need to get out of here." Haruka told her after a moment. "Let's go find that jeep."

It was a few more minutes of searching before the couple found the garage. The jeep was there, though it was clear that it hadn't been used in a very long time. Haruka got behind the wheel and tried to start it. It took seven tried before the engine finally roared to life. Michiru opened the garage door and got into the passenger seat of the vehicle. They drove off as quickly as they could in case any wraiths living in that city of ruin decided to go after them. Both Haruka and Michiru hoped that the journal they found actually was a guidebook out of the Land of the Wraiths, and not the mad writings of a man who had lost all hope along with his mind.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I needed a way for Haruka and Michiru to find a potential way out of the Land of the Wraiths, and getting the directions to such a way out in the journal of a dead scientist seemed like the coolest way to do that. It worked in the old Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow games when the player finds those diary entries about Mewtwo in that abandoned mansion on Cinnabar Island. There was originally going to be another wraith battle in this chapter, but while I was writing this chapter I felt that it would've been a little much for some reason.

Please review and let me know what you think.


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